Judge rejects bid to dismiss Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (KYMA, KECY) - A federal judge in California has rejected a bid to dismiss Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit over the sharing of photos from Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash site.

The NBA legend, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed when the helicopter crashed into a hillside in January 2020.

The lawsuit claims photos from the scene were shared by county fire and sheriff's department workers in settings irrelevant to the investigation, including a bar.

The lawsuit claims civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress, and violation of privacy.

Lawyers for L.A. County requested the lawsuit be dismissed in a court filing in November.

In his denial of the request on Wednesday, the judge said, "there are genuine issues of material facts for trial."

The trial could set as early as next month.